The "Tulpa" as a Worldview and its Structure: the New Worldview Opened up by Metaverses and Humanoids, and the Future of "Debodyization"
This text is a self-translation of the original Japanese text below.
The <tulpa> in this paper refers to a worldview that emerges against the background of post-human age technologies such as metaverses and humanoids, and is based on the idea that finds the essence of humans not in the bodily self in the physical world, but in the self as a kind of mental existence detached from the body, and that the self as mental existence is understood to emerge in the actual world as a physical body, a VR avatar in cyberspace, or a remote-controlled robotic avatar.
"Debodyization" (debody-ization) is a change brought about mainly by the advancement of technology, and refers to the increasing removal of restrictions derived from the physical body in the way we interact with others and engage in social and economic activities.
The <Tulpa> as a Worldview and its Structure: the New Worldview Opened up by Metaverses and Humanoids, and the Future of "Debodyization"
Keywords
<tulpa>, worldview, metaverse, humanoid, debodyization, post-human age, humanism
summary
In recent years, the rapid development of technologies such as AI, metaverses, and humanoids is drastically changing the world in which we live. What I would like to focus on in this paper is a worldview that may emerge in the future during such drastic changes in our living world.
Until now, our common worldview has been that no matter how elaborate the experience in cyberspace may seem, the true reality lies within the experience in the physical world. Today's technological situation, however, holds the potential for the emergence of a very different worldview. It is a worldview that finds the essence of humans not in the bodily self in the physical world, but in the self as a kind of mental existence detached from the body, and that the self as mental existence is understood to emerge in the actual world as a physical body, a VR avatar in cyberspace, or a remote-controlled robotic avatar. This mental existence will be called <tulpa> in this paper. The human consciousness and thought still belong to the physical body, which is centered in the brain. Nonetheless, people imagine that the physical body does not give rise to <tulpa>, but that <tulpa> appears as a physical self. Here, the physical body is imagined as just one option, along with numerous avatars, for the <tulpa> to be embodied in the actual world.
This worldview certainly seems strange to us today. However, in the near future, there may be more than a few people who accept this worldview. We need to be prepared now for any problems that will arise at that time.
１．Introduction
Human beings have used technology to create new environments in this world, and through these environments they have also dramatically transformed themselves. As we recall from the emergence of agriculture, the use of fossil fuels, and the emergence of the Internet, the face of human society has changed drastically before and after each great transformation. Not only that, but the way we understand the world, or our worldview, has also changed dramatically in response to these transformations.
Imagine this. Ancient hunter-gatherers could not have imagined that later generations of people would be living in huge buildings with hundreds of people crammed into them. Medieval farmers could not have imagined that the future people would travel tens of kilometers on a hunk of steel to perform their labor. Likewise, the sensibilities of people half a century ago would have found it quite extraordinary that we are so concerned about the number of "likes" we receive each day, or that we believe that any question can be answered in seconds using an electronic device the size of a palm.
What this paper wants to consider is what the technological consequences of the "post-human age" symbolized by the metaverse and humanoids, which have been making rapid progress in recent years (Note 1), will be if they bring about a new form of worldview. For example, events experienced in cyberspace are usually perceived by us today as inferior to the reality of the physical world. No matter how elaborate the experience may seem, the original reality is always on the side of the physical world, and the self that appears in cyberspace is considered to be only a temporary representation of the original self in the physical world.
In the future, however, we may come to live under a worldview that is completely different from this one. It is a worldview that finds the essence of humans not in the bodily self in the physical world, but in the self as a kind of mental existence detached from the body, and that the self as mental existence is understood to emerge in the actual world as a physical body, a VR avatar in cyberspace, or a remote-controlled robotic avatar. This mental existence will be called <tulpa> in this paper (Note 2). The human consciousness and thought still belong to the physical body, which is centered in the brain. Nonetheless, people imagine that the physical body does not give rise to <tulpa>, but that <tulpa> appears as a physical self. Here, the physical body is imagined as just one option, along with numerous avatars, for the <tulpa> to be embodied in the actual world.
This worldview certainly seems strange to us today. However, as mentioned above, if nothing is certain in the human future, it makes sense to consider various possibilities as we prepare for the world to come. For example, under what conditions can <tulpa> as a worldview be emerged? And what will happen when more and more people come to accept it? In this paper, I would like to consider these issues.
２．Technical background of the emergence of <tulpa>
（１）What the metaverses will bring
What we will look at first is the technical background of the emergence of <tulpa> as a worldview. If we are living on the eve of its emergence today, it is the metaverses that provide the first stage.
First of all, metaverse is a term derived from the science fiction novel Snow Crash (Snow Crash, 1992), which is ‘meta’ + ‘universe’ and refers to a three-dimensional space constructed in cyberspace. However, in order to talk about this buzzword, we first need to be explicit about what the metaverses envisioned in this paper refer to (Note 3).
For example, this paper does not consider technologies such as blockchain and NFT (non-fungible token) to be metaverses in and of themselves, even though they may support metaverses. Also, although MR (mixed reality) and XR (cross reality), which incorporate augmented reality (AR), expand the range of applications of metaverses, we consider the essence of metaverses to be in virtual reality (VR). Although there are metaverse-like uses for online games utilizing VR, depending on how they are played, they are still not considered metaverses in that they are dependent on the purpose and specifications of the game. And as for text-based SNSs and "Second Life" where avatars move across a 2D screen, this paper considers them to not meet the requirements of metaverses in terms of a lack of immersive experience.
In other words, the metaverse envisioned in this paper is distinguished from the above-mentioned ones, and refers mainly to a three-dimensional VR space in which people participate via goggles that enable them to perceive VR space and tracking devices that can reproduce their physical body movements, and in which they become avatars under a highly immersive experience, with many people connected simultaneously, and in which they can engage in a wide range of social and economic activities including communication, creation, and trading (Note 4).
Why, then, do these metaverses have such a significant impact on our worldview? And what is new about these metaverses? For example, some people may think that Metaverses may seem new, but if you miss people, we have SNS, and in some cases, we can go see our friends in person. And even if it is some kind of economic activity, it is hard to understand why one would go to the trouble of wearing goggles to purchase something that can be ordered at a store or on a Web site. However, these are all misunderstandings that arise from viewing the metaverse as an extension of the physical world.
First, to understand the novelty of metaverses, we need to note that they are capable of transcending the various constraints derived from the physical body. For example, participants in metaverses are not only able to transcend space, but can also transcend physical attributes/conditions such as age, gender, illness, and disability, and take on any form they desire. They are immersed under a 360-degree view into another world created in the metaverses, where they can have their avatar reproduce their physical body movements, facial expressions and eye contact, and even change their voice to become the ideal person they would like to be. In the metaverses, we can be our other selves, so to speak (Note 5).
In order to discuss economic activities in metaverses, it is necessary to focus on the fact that metaverses are places for gathering, socializing and interacting. People participate in metaverses because they function as a kind of third place -- that is, a special third place where they can leave behind not only their positions and roles at home and at work, but also the various restrictions that come from their physical bodies in the physical world (Note 6) -- and because they are constantly used by a large number of people for gathering, socializing and interacting (Note 6).
Then, those who have become accustomed to living in metaverses will seek a one-of-a-kind avatar that they find more ideal. They will need spaces to gather and hold events for various purposes. They will want furniture, accessories, and gimmicks to enhance their experience. Thus, people will begin to design avatars and spaces, develop and produce a variety of objects, and sell these products on the market. Eventually, some people may be able to make a living in the metaverses. In other words, the promotion of products in the physical world and the expectation of advertising effects can only be discussed from the perspective of metaverses as a place for social interaction and exchange, and the unique economic sphere that emerges from such a place (Note 7).
The technologies related to today's metaverses, which are still in their infancy, will continue to improve. For example, it may become possible to reproduce the sensations and smells perceived by an avatar on the physical body side (Note 8). Importantly, the true value of metaverses is realized when we understand them as more than mere shadow puppets of the physical world. There, we can interact with others, work, and build a variety of human relationships while becoming the ideal self that we want to be. What appears then is something that can truly be called another reality alongside the physical world.
（２）Humanoids and teleoperated robots
The next point to focus on is the technological progress regarding humanoids.
The term "humanoid" is composed of the words "human" + "oid" (like) and refers to robots and other objects that resemble humans. The term "android" has a similar meaning, but the difference is that androids sound like artificial beings that resemble real human beings in appearance, while humanoids include a wider range of beings (Note 9).
Perhaps the best known representative humanoid is Pepper, a mass-produced, high-performance robot that can recognize emotions, answer questions, and learn knowledge (Note 10). Nevertheless, the level of humanoids currently being developed is far beyond that.
For example, Romi, a conversational AI robot marketed by MIXI in 2021, can automatically generate language and engage in natural dialogue (Note 11). Even though it looks different from humans, it is affordable, friendly like a pet, and designed to be people's everyday partner. Also, in terms of realistic human appearance, ERICA, developed by robotics engineer Hiroshi Ishiguro (Note 12), is not only literally human-like in appearance, but is also equipped with various elements that enable us to recognize it as human-like, such as subtle facial expressions, eye movements, and body swaying movements.
Assuming that a society in which humanoids and humans coexist in the near future, the first question we will have to ask ourselves is whether we can believe that robots have autonomous wills and minds. In this sense, it can be said that recent humanoids technologies are steadily fulfilling these conditions.
However, what is important in considering <tulpa> as a worldview is not so much the autonomous robots themselves, but rather the remote-controlled robotic avatars that can be achieved through the application of a series of technologies.
For example, OriHime, developed by Kentaro Yoshifuji of Ory Laboratory, is an alter-ego robot that performs "going out" and "going to work" on behalf of people who are unable to leave their own room or hospital room due to accidents or incurable diseases (Note 13). Even if the owners cannot move their limbs, they can control OriHime through eye movements. OriHime placed in a remote location can nod, raise its hand, or speak during a meeting using inputted text information on behalf of its owner.
It is important to note that the use of these alter-ego robots is not necessarily limited to the field of welfare. Even if people can move their physical bodies, it is conceivable that, for various reasons, they will become alter ego robots and engage in social and economic activities in the future (Note 14).
If such a lifestyle becomes an option in the future, a certain number of people will be humanoids in the form they want to be - they may look like real people, like ERICA, or they may be deformed, like Romi or OriHime - and they will be able to build relationships with real people. We may be able to realize what we have seen through the metaverses to some extent in the physical world as well.
（３）Society moving toward "debodyization”
Here, we find an important point of contact between metaverses and humanoids in what they are accomplishing. That is, we are further removing the restrictions derived from our physical bodies when we interact with others and engage in social and economic activities, or in other words, "debodyization”.
What is noteworthy is the fact that technological development to accelerate such debodyization is now being promoted by the state under the name of "moonshot goals. The "moonshot goal" promoted by Japan's Cabinet Office, which aims to create "disruptive innovations" originating in Japan by investing a large budget, actually one of the stated goals is "realization of a society in which human beings can be free from limitations of body, brain, space, and time by 2050" (Note 15).
Of course, behind this is the political intention to link people who have limitations in their physical bodies due to nursing care, childcare, aging, or other reasons to work in a more flexible way, given the current low birthrate, aging population, and labor shortages. However, it is worth noting that various "cybernetic avatars," including VR and robots, are being considered for use as concrete solutions there.
In other words, if the essence of the technology envisioned here is debodyization, we should rather phrase the future society that lies ahead as follows. The people involved are not only those who are burdened by illness, disability, aging, nursing care, child rearing, and other factors that make it difficult for them to go out. It is a society in which people with any kind of physical body-related problems, including those who are uncomfortable with face-to-face communication and those who suffer from sexual discrepancies, can interact with others as the ideal self they would like to be without being bothered by their physical bodies, and can be active as themselves.
The "JIZAI-Body" project, led by engineer Masahiko Inami, offers some insight into the lifestyle of a society that has undergone such debodyization (Note 16). “JIZAI-Body" means that we can freely switch between our activities in physical space and those in cyberspace, and between our conscious and unconscious actions.
In other words, it is envisioned that when the physical body performs some task, it can instantly switch its consciousness to the VR avatar in the metaverses or to the robot avatar in the remote location, if necessary. It is also envisioned that the physical body and the avatar self will be able to perform different tasks simultaneously, as if they were thinking while pedaling a bicycle.
３．The properties of <tulpa> and the conditions for its emergence
（１）<Tulpa> as a new worldview
Now, let us review again the research question of this paper. It was the possibility that, against the background of the technological developments of the "post-human age" that we have seen above, a completely new worldview may emerge in the near future.
First, in today's mainstream worldview, reality in cyberspace and reality in the physical world, including bodily events, are not considered to be equivalent. No matter how elaborate the former may appear, the "true reality" is understood to be in the latter, and the reality in cyberspace is understood to be an inferior imitation compared to the reality of the physical world. Next, the same applies to self-existence. The "original self" is the bodily self in the physical world, and the non-bodily self in cyberspace is understood to be only a temporary form or shadow of the "original self" (Note 17).
However, as we have seen, the technological development of metaverses and humanoids has opened up the possibility of living as VR avatars and robot avatars, in other words, living as another self that has been " debodyized" in another reality. It is precisely in this phase of our times that <tulpa> will emerge.
What we experience here is a kind of inversion in the worldview. In other words, the assumption that the bodily self is the "original self" has been pushed out, and instead a higher concept of self is imagined as a mental existence that transcends the physical world and the physical body. And based on the assumption that the mental existence is the "original self," the physical body in the physical world is considered to be not much different from a VR avatar or a robot avatar, but rather a way for the "original self" to be embodied in the actual world. <tulpa> is nothing other than this mental existence that transcends the actual world.
（２）The structure of the <tulpa>:the “metaphor of the cloud” and “the metaphor of the accounts”
To understand the structure of <tulpa> in depth, we might consider two distinctive characteristics that emerge. First, <tulpa> has the property of existing as a worldview even though it does not actually exist. To repeat, human consciousness and thought must still belong to the brain-centered physical body, even in a world of metaverses and humanoids. Importantly, nevertheless, people imagine that the physical body does not give rise to <tulpa>, but that <tulpa> gives rise to the “bodily self”.
As an intuitive way to understand this, let us consider the "metaphor of the cloud". In cloud computing, for example, cloud data is actually stored on physical storage devices located somewhere in the world. However, users are often unaware of this and feel as if the data is ubiquitous everywhere in the actual world. In the worldview, people can imagine as if there is a different layer of dimension in this world, from which data is constantly being retrieved and stored through devices.
In fact, something similar occurs in <tulpa> as a worldview. In other words, our thoughts and consciousness are imagined as if they were independent of our physical body. The entity of human existence is imagined to be constantly floating as a <tulpa> on a unique layer independent of the actual world, and it is imagined to be embodied in the actual world in the form of a physical body or avatars. For convenience, this paper refers to this imaginary layer as the "cloud world" and to the actual world in which <tulpa> is embodied as the "realities world”.
Second, when <tulpa> floating in the "cloud world" is embodied in the "realities world," it is often possible for multiple independent personalities to emerge. In other words, if there is a " bodily self," a "VR avatar self," and a "robot avatar self," these personalities are not necessarily connected to each other.
Let us consider this using the "metaphor of accounts". For example, when we use SNS, we often use multiple accounts. Some of these accounts may be associated with a physical body, while others may be intentionally created as a separate personality. Therefore, people connected only through SNS have no way of knowing whether or not their personalities are connected to their physical bodies each other. We are already practicing the act of operating various personalities on a daily basis, and we do not consider it abnormal to do so.
Something similar occurs in <tulpa> as a worldview. We can express our ideal self through avatars. In each reality, we build relationships with others. There, not only are the realities separated from each other, but the personalities are sometimes separated from each other as well.
（３）The conditions for the emergence of <tulpa> -- "equivalence of multiple realities" and "independence of personalities”
Based on the above, let us consider the conditions under which such a worldview can emerge. In order for <tulpa> to fully emerge, there are problems to be overcome on our side in addition to the transformation of the world through technology.
The first point that can be made is about the condition of "equivalence of multiple realities". For example, suppose there are two realities in front of us, one we experience as a physical body in the physical world and another we experience as a VR avatar or a robot avatar. The "equivalence of multiple realities" means that people then do not see any one reality as more essential and the others as non-essential, but rather that they all are essential to human beings and that there is no superiority or inferiority in the strict sense of the word.
This condition may seem difficult to those who, like us today, are still in a situation where the reality we experience as a physical body is overwhelmingly dominant.
But imagine. As mentioned above, suppose that in the near future, more precise tracking will become possible, and we will be able to reproduce direct sensations such as smell, taste, or touch in metaverses. Also, suppose that the life as an avatar is on track, that close relationships are formed around it, that we earn enough money through our work, and that we even feel that we are engaged in socially valuable activities. Then, we would accept these experiences as another valuable reality.
The second condition is the "independence of personalities”. This means that when we become avatars and build relationships with others, it is accepted as a social consensus that the personality embodied in the avatar can be separated from the other personalities, including the bodily self.
This condition may also seem difficult to those unfamiliar with living as an avatar. Because what this means is that we will no longer attach importance to, for example, the physical body or appearance behind the avatar with whom we are entering into a relationship, or to what other personalities a person may be projecting as different avatars.
But here again, imagine. If there is someone in front of you who has a one and only appearance, and you are in a relationship with the person with whom you can exchange words, touch, and travel the world together, what is the significance of prying into you about another appearance which the person is never willing to show you? If someone accepts your personality as an avatar as it is, you should also be able to accept their personality as it is, embodied in front of you (Note 18). In this light, there is plenty of room for people to accept these conditions as well.
（４）The term <tulpa>, and previous research
Here, let us consider the term <tulpa> itself.
<Tulpa>, the original term is 「思念体」 in Japanese, means "thought "(思考) + "body" (体), and refers to mental things that includes thoughts, will, and emotions has acquired an entity separate from the physical body (Note 19). In this paper, the term is used in the sense that a mental existence that transcends the physical body acquires substance in the worldview.
<Tulpa> is used for the English term「思念体」 in this paper. The term "tulpa" is used today to refer to an imaginary friend or something created by supernatural forces, but originally it was a term used in Tibetan esoteric Buddhism to refer to a separate personality created by a practitioner (Note 20). In other words, the concept of <tulpa> has the implication that it is a contemporary "tulpa" created by science and technology, such as metaverses and humanoids.
Let us consider this from another angle. The <tulpa> would be similar to what has traditionally been called a "soul" or a "spirit". All of these concepts have long been believed to be the essence of human existence in many cultures, and all of them have been denied by the modern scientific worldview. It is interesting to note that <tulpa> can be said to be the materialization by modern science of the "soul" or "spirit" that once existed as an idea.
As far as the author is aware, there have been two previous studies on <tulpa> as an inspiration. The first is the concept of "thought cloud" used by Ryota Kanai, a neuroscientist known for his research on BMI (brain machine interface), a technology that connects the brain to machines and operates them directly by brain wave signals. (Note 21).
Kanai claims that in a world where BMI is ultimately developed, humans will not only communicate directly between thoughts, but also manipulate the physical world at will through AI and robots, and ultimately become eternal beings who entertain creation through mind uploading. What this paper focuses on is Kanai's description here of a "debodyized" human existence, which he likened to the cloud.
The second is the "Nem-style idea theory" used by Virtual Girl Nem (Note 22). Plato once used the metaphor of people who are bound in the depths of a cave and can only see shadows projected on the walls to try to explain the existence of ideas, which are the entities of things (Note 23). Nem explains the innovation of identity in metaverses from this point on as follows.
For us, the self that lives as a physical body and the self that lives as a VR avatar are both like shadows that illuminate our core fundamental identity (soul) from different angles, even though they are in different forms. One of the new features of metaverses is that it can embody such plurality of self-existence as an avatar. What this paper has described as the structure and characteristics of <tulpa> has already been anticipated here.
In this paper, <tulpa> is positioned as a different concept from "dividualism," which is often referred to in connection with metaverses (Note 24). Originally, " dividualism " was a concept designed to criticize the concept of the individual, which assumes a single integrated personality, and to show that there can be different selves for each relationship. Simply put, the face of the self in the circle of friends is different from the face of the self in the family, and it is acceptable to be different.
<Tulpa>, however, is perhaps a more radical concept. This is because the mutual personalities of "dividual" are understood to maintain a gradual continuity with the physical body at their core, while the mutual personalities embodied in <tulpa> can sometimes be understood to be willing to lose contact completely.
４．<Tulpa> and the new problem sphere arising from its worldview
The last point that needs to be considered is, if in the future many people will accept the <tulpa> worldview, what will happen and what problems will arise?
（１）Institutional problems facing <tulpa>
First, it can be pointed out that new types of legal regulations and social institutions will probably be required, which did not exist before.
For example, as mentioned above, in order for <tulpa> as a worldview to be fully emerged, the condition of "independence of personalities" had to be guaranteed. If the personal connections between avatars were to be revealed in a way that the avatars themselves did not intend, the identities that had emerged in their respective realities could be destroyed. In the future, such acts may come to be regarded as criminal acts equivalent to defamation (Note 25). And perhaps there are other such unknown social problems that could be latent.
（２）<Tulpa> is troubled by the illusion of "self that must be this way"
Next, in contrast to the previous discussion, there is a possibility that the spread of the <tulpa> worldview may in fact lead to a deepening of our suffering.
As described above, the driving force behind the new worldview has been the "debodyization" achieved through science and technology. In other words, it will be possible to overcome any disadvantages that derive from the physical body, to become the ideal self that people want to be, and to live "as themselves".
What is eliminated there are not only physical body limitations such as childcare and nursing care. It also includes all the disadvantages derived from the physical body, such as illness, disability, and aging. On the contrary, it also includes the elimination of fundamental inequalities that we have understood as inescapable, such as our innate appearance and gender. In this sense, the emergence of <tulpa> also meant the fulfillment of “freedom” and “equality” on a level never before experienced by humankind.
This, however, may in fact deepen our suffering. A clue is the fact that, as environmental philosophy and media studies researcher Takehiko Yoshida points out, one essence of digitization is to "eliminate noise" (Note 26).
For example, as media artist Yoichi Ochiai has described "digital nature", why do we sometimes feel that the screen on our smartphone or car navigation system is far more trustworthy than the physical landscape in front of us (Note 27)? This is because things that come to us via cyberspace present themselves to us as purified by specific information, stripped of superfluous noise.
Similarly, why is it that we sometimes find a dialogue through a VR avatar to be a much more vivid experience than a face-to-face dialogue? It is because the avatar functions as a kind of filter, removing extraneous information that interferes with the dialogue. Informatics researcher Hiroshi Okajima defined metaverses as "a comfortable world created with a slightly different logic from the actual world and convenient for us" (Note 28), and this expression certainly hits one of the essential points.
Therefore, if the world of <tulpa> looks shining, one of the factors is that many inconveniences of physical body origin are eliminated as noise there and in this sense that a "pure, clean, and gentle" world seems to have emerged. However, in actuality, we have no control over the noise. Rather, what stands in the way is the actual world in which humans have no choice but to live in a world full of noise, no matter how far we go.
Think about this carefully. Behind the seemingly impartial and neutrality of "digital nature," there are also the interests and exploitations of some, and the wild games of the physical world are swirling around. Even in the seemingly pure dialogue between avatars, we will soon find that factions, prejudices, and peer pressure lurk, much like in the physical world.
In the same way, even in a world where the "equivalence of multiple realities" and "independence of personalities" seem to have been achieved, we cannot stop overflowing the pressures arising from the reality of the physical world and all the inconveniences arising from our physical bodies into the supposedly "pure, clean, and gentle" world. Unless we become "brain-persons" as thought experiment people who have completely abandoned our physical bodies and become only our brains and directly connected to an AI-automated life-support system thereby shifting the stage of our lives completely to the metaverses (Note 29) .
Thinking back, what was the "selfhood" that <tulpa> supposedly achieves? It is probably the iron cage of self-imposed restraints of the "self that must be this way" that emerges after the physical body is removed as noise, and even inconvenient others and relationships are removed as noise as much as possible.
Nevertheless, once we have learned to live as <tulpa>, we cannot help but believe in the "pure, clean, and gentle" world without the noise. Facing the "self that wasn't meant to be," the desire to believe that "this world must be wrong" may take precedence, and we may become unable to accept the actual human world in which we have to live with the noise. And it seems that such a crack between the ideals and the reality will deepen as technology becomes more advanced and the reality of our lives becomes closer and closer to <tulpa>.
（３）<Tulpa> is the humanism
Finally, it is important to point out that this problem is in fact closely related to another, even larger problem, which has been latent in humanism in modern Western thought (Note 30).
Humanism generally refers to the ideology formed after the Renaissance that emphasizes the potential and dignity of the human person. It is important to note that the backbone of this ideology contains a strong belief that, especially through the power of reason, we can liberate ourselves from various restraints, and that through the dynamics of that liberation we can embody on earth the ideal society that we have envisioned. Indeed, we know that this aspect of humanism has historically contributed greatly to the liberation of the politically oppressed and to the achievement of democratic social institutions.
In recent years, however, humanism seems to have become more oriented toward ontological freedom and equality than toward political freedom and equality. It is often spoken of as diversity or inclusion, but the central idea is that the central idea is the ideal of self-determination, which holds that it is desirable for human beings to be free to the maximum extent possible from external forces that attempt to define their own state, and to be able to determine their own state for themselves.
What is important here is the fact that there is complete consistency between the ideals sought by such humanism and the trend toward "debodyization" that we have seen above.
For example, as mentioned above, through "debodyization," we can overcome in some respects even the fundamental inequalities that include our innate appearance and gender. If unlimited ontological freedom or self-determination is the ideal state of human beings, then we should be able to say that the "body that not at will" is a hotbed of unfreedom, inequality, oppression, and coercion that plagues human beings. If this is the case, then if we want to maximize self-determination and build a society that maximizes diversity and inclusion, it would be said that we should, or must, all become <tulpa> once.
To put it another way, <tulpa> is actually the humanism. By accelerating the process of "debodyization," that is, by becoming <tulpa>, we can steadily promote the humanism.
Then, it would seem that we will have truly completed the humanism when we have gone further from <tulpa> to become "brain-person," finally abandoning even our brains and becoming completely integrated with information equipment. This means that <tulpa> which was a product of the imagination, is now "bodyized". Here, an ideology that should have pursued true or inherent humanity is consummated by the abandonment of the foundation of the human being. This paradox is the most important issue here.
But let us remember again. The closer we get to <tulpa>, the more we are torn between the ideals and the reality.
As Kanai described above, he called the ultimate world in which even the brain has been abandoned "heaven" (Note 31), but can the "HUMAN" embodied in such a world really exist without despairing of their colorless, transparent, eternal self-existence? Or is it just a misunderstanding of the old era, and that the suffering of the people accompanying "debodyization" is just a temporary side effect of the humanism on its way to perfection?
We will need some time to find a definite answer to this question. When the times catch up with the question and we actually confront the situation, the outcome will become clear.
５．Conclusion
In the above, we have discussed the fundamental structure of <tulpa> as a worldview and what would happen if <tulpa> were to become the mainstream worldview in the future.
Even now, some readers may still have doubts. They wonder if <tulpa> as a worldview can really emerge. In the end, no one can be sure. The only thing that can be said is as follows.
Certainly, ancient hunter-gatherers cannot have imagined that later generations of people would be living in huge buildings with hundreds of people crammed into them. Medieval farmers cannot have imagined that the future people would travel tens of kilometers on a hunk of steel to perform their labor. And the people even half a century ago cannot have imagined that we are so concerned about the number of "likes" we receive each day, or that we believe that any question can be answered in seconds using an electronic device the size of a palm.
In light of this, there is plenty of room for the emergence of <tulpa> as a worldview, no matter how strange it may seem to us today. We may be living on the eve of its emergence. If this is the case, we need to prepare for it from now.
Notes
Post-human here refers to a situation in which the boundaries between body and machine, brain and AI, and treatment and human modification become blurred, so that the concept of the human that has been considered obvious becomes untenable. For more details, see Uegaki (2022, 2023).
The term <tulpa> is discussed in detail in Chapter 3, Section 4 of this paper.
Blockchain and NFT are not essential to metaverses, but they have paved the way for people to own avatars and other things across platforms. The online game "Fortnite" is also known to be used in metaverses beyond its original gaming nature, with famous singers holding concerts in the game. Second Life" is an online game released in 2003 that allows players to interact with each other as avatars in a virtual city. In particular, the possibility of exchanging in-game currency obtained by buying and selling objects and land for real-world currency was revolutionary at the time. For more on how metaverses became a buzzword, see Amemiya (2023) for an organization.
The definition of what a metaverse is ranges considerably among different commentators. For example, if we take it as " a comfortable world created with a slightly different logic from the actual world and convenient for us" (Okajima 2022:25), then online games would be included in it. If we consider "meta-communication" as Sato (2023) does, then all communication utilizing cyberspace, from SNS to crowdfunding, would be in the metaverse. The four conditions proposed by the Virtual Reality Society of Japan are known as the classic definition. These are: "having a three-dimensional simulation space (environment)," "existence of objects (avatars) for self-projection," "multiple avatars can share the same three-dimensional space," and "being able to create objects (items) in the space" (Tachi et al. 2011: 251). However, it should be noted that the definition here is based on the then brand-new "Second Life" in mind. VRChat is the most embodiment of metaverses today, and other known platforms include Neos VR, cluster, and Virtualcast. For an actual picture of the metaverse, such as what people are looking for in metaverses and what they find attractive about metaverses, the literature of Nem (2022) or Fio (2022) are instructive.
From Nem (2022) and Fio (2022) mentioned above, these characteristics of metaverses can be clearly read. In particular, Nem (2022), as discussed below, calls this " cosplay of identity" and positions it as an innovative element of metaverses, along with "cosplay of communication" and "cosplay of economy".
See Oldenburg (1989) for a concept of a third place. The focus here is specifically on the benefits received by individuals, but how these benefits can be evaluated in relation to the local community may need to be discussed.
For example, in the virtual market, individual creators and general companies exhibit at venues in the metaverse, selling a variety of products, from those used in cyberspace to those used in the physical world. Some of the participating companies are trying to promote sales through experiences unique to the metaverses, such as test-driving a luxury car. For more information, see Fio (2022).
See bHaptics' website for more information on tactile suits, and the following article for more information on reproducing smells (Taisho Saito, "High Immersion in VR with 'Smell': Possibility of Creating New Experiences in Multisensory Metaverses").
Therefore, humanoids include not only robots but also other creatures that resemble humans. See also Ishiguro (2015).
See the official website below.
See the official website below.
Ishiguro has created a variety of humanoids, but ERICA is an android that looks and moves as close to a real human as possible (JST ERATO ISHIGURO Symbiotic Human-Robot Interaction Project) . For other humanoids created by Ishiguro, see Ishiguro (2015) and the laboratory's website.
See Yoshifuji (2017) and the Ory Laboratory website.
Ishiguro is participating in the "Moonshot Goals" described below and is already conducting such research (Achieving an avatar symbiotic society in which everyone can play an active role flexibly).
The official name of the project is "moonshot R&D project" (see the Japan Science and Technology Agency website for details.
These include the development of third and fourth arms that can be moved using leg movements (MetaLimbs), research on how the brain perceives the limbs of machines in VR space as part of its own physical body (VR extra limbs), and technology that allows robots' arms and other parts to be remotely controlled and partially automated so that they can simultaneously perform the tasks in front of them (Detachable body). See Inami/Kitazaki/Miyawaki et al. (2021) and "Inami JIZAI-Body project compilation".
In Japanese "virtual" translate as "temporary," but the original meaning in English includes the nuance of being something that is itself in effect or essence, though it may not be so in appearance or surface (Tachi et al., 2011: 2-5). In other words, virtual means, precisely, an artificial extraction of what is originally considered essential.
Although further investigation is required, a report claims that of the sample collected from VRChat, about 75% of the users reported that the physical gender of the partner was not important when becoming a lover in social VR (Nem 2022:221).
See Kojien, 7th edition, entry 「思念」 / 「体」.
Kanai/Komamura (2022).
Nem (2022: 153, 197).
Plato (1979: 101).
See Hirano (2012) for more on " dividualism”. The author has previously developed an original relationalist theory of human existence using concepts such as "relationship," "betweenness," and "distance" in a manner similar to Hirano's criticism of individualism. (For details, see Uegaki (2021), the first volume, chap. 7.)
In the animated film "Belle" by Mamoru Hosoda (released in 2021), the act of "unveiling," in which persons who disturb the order in the metaverses are forced to reveal their ties to the physical body, appears. In a world where <tulpa> emergence is possible, such a problem may become an actual issue.
See Yoshida (2021).
See Ochiai (2018).
Okazaki (2022:25). See also note 4.
For a thought experiment on "brain-persons," see the second volume of Uegaki (2021), Chapter 10.
See also Uegaki (2023) for a detailed discussion of the humanism discussed here.
Kanai/Komamura (2022:46).
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